WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A massive fire tore through an Amsterdam Avenue building late Wednesday, leaving several apartments badly scorched and families displaced on a freezing night.

The Washington Heights blaze broke out about 8 p.m. on the second floor of 2440 Amsterdam Ave. and quickly spread through the walls of the five-story building, an FDNY spokesman said.

Jose, a 28-year-old who's lived in the building since childhood, was getting ready to walk his dogs when he saw smoke filling the hallway.

"We got everyone out of the second floor," Jose said. "Then we saw that the fire was spreading, so we ran up to the third floor and saw more smoke. We were worried the fire was going wall to wall, so we had to evacuate everybody.

"I was carrying old women down the stairs. I don't know their names, but we're all neighbors here so we stick together," he added. "It was scary, but I just did what I had to do."

Nearly 10 apartments were scorched in the blaze and several others sustained water damage, fire officials on the scene said Wednesday night.

DNAinfo.com is New York's leading hyper-local news source, covering New York City's neighborhoods. We deliver up-to-the-minute reports on entertainment, education, politics, crime, sports, and dining. Our award-winning journalists find the stories - big or small - that matter most to New Yorkers.